Boundary systems are commonly used in conjunction with staircases, ramps, or the like to prevent people from falling over the edge of these structures. Integral to such boundary systems are rail members parallel to the edge of the staircase or ramp, commonly known in the art as handrails or banisters. Such handrails or banisters may be supported by one or more vertical supports along the length of the handrail or banister, commonly known in the art as a balusters. Such balusters are generally connected to the underside of the handrail or banister. A variety of fasteners have been used to connect the baluster to the underside of the handrail or banister.
It is sometimes desired to move a baluster relative to the railing after the baluster has been attached to such railing. This may be to permit the baluster and railing to be assembled off-site and subsequently installed as one unit on-site. In such situations the ability of the balusters to move relative to the railing may permit the baluster and the railing to adapt to a variety of pitch angles. Examples of such boundary systems may be appreciated from U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,340,087, 5,056,283, and 4,886,245. Such systems may include a series of balusters that extend from the railing to a base. Each support may have a connector or connectors that allow the installer to adjust the angle between the baluster and the railing to a desired pitch angle.
Many systems allow the movement of all associated balusters in concert. The balusters remain parallel at all times because of their connection to the rail member and a second lower rail, known in the art as a shoe rail. Pivoting such balusters necessarily requires movement of the handrail or the shoe rail. Typically, the connections between the balusters and the railings are not meant to be disconnected. Due to the nature of the pivoting connectors, these balusters may be difficult or impossible to remove.
If it is desired to perform some manner of work on the vertical surface to which the railing is attached, a baluster close to the vertical surface may be a hindrance to such work. Attempts to pivot the baluster away from the vertical surface may be frustrated by the necessity of all balusters pivoting together with the railing to which they are attached. Such movement of the balusters may not even be possible when the work to be performed involves connecting the railing to the vertical surface in the first place. Because the railing must be placed in a desired position, the balusters are necessarily prevented from pivoting during the connection of the railing to the vertical surface. Such work would prevent the railing from moving away from the vertical surface, preventing the balusters from moving at all.
In such situations, it may be desirable to tilt a single baluster out of the way or remove it entirely for the duration of the work to be performed. Typically, removing a single baluster can be difficult or time consuming, especially for one not skilled in carpentry or the like. Such difficulty may be compounded if the baluster is connected by one of the pivoting joints as described above, because such pivoting balusters cannot be pivoted one at a time.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,509,881 describes a mechanism which detachably secures a spindle post in place by using two bases for receiving the post, one of the bases being spring loaded. The spindle post may be inserted into the spring loaded base at an angle, depressing the spring until the spindle post may be rotated into alignment with the other base such that the spring may push the spindle post into the second base, securing the spindle post in place between the two bases.
Installing a spindle post as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,509,881 involves a complicated and expensive mechanism. The two required bases are not identical, and the spring loaded base may have multiple parts which increases its construction costs. It may take considerable strength to insert or remove such a spindle post into or out from the spring loaded base. Such bases are necessarily larger than the diameter of the spindle posts, and may not be aesthetically pleasing in conjunction with a handrail or banister. Finally, there is a danger of marring the surface or the finish of the spindle post when inserting it into or removing it from the bases because of the forces applied to the spindle post and the angles necessary to pivot it into place.
It is typically desired that the balusters supporting a handrail or banister be positioned and evenly spaced along the length of the handrail or banister for aesthetic purposes. When a connector is used to attach the railing to a vertical surface, the baluster closest to the vertical surface may at least partially interfere with such connector. To maintain the desired aesthetic effect of spacing the balusters along the railing, the baluster nearest the connector may need to be modified, by for example cutting a notch or opening into the top of the baluster in which the connector may at least partially fit.
Modification of a single baluster to permit a connector to be at least partially positioned therein may be difficult for a homeowner or other person unskilled in carpentry or the like to perform. The modification is a time consuming process even for a skilled carpenter. Furthermore, the bases which detachably secure a spindle post in place as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,509,881 may be difficult or impossible to modify to allow a connector to be positioned at least partially within the bases. Such a modification may weaken or deform the base so that it may not be able to secure the spindle post in place properly. In any case, such a modification may be beyond the purview of a homeowner or other person unskilled in carpentry or the like.
A new, simple, and inexpensive connector for connecting a baluster to a railing is needed which permits a separate connector to be at least partially positioned above the baluster while providing for swinging the baluster away from a nearby vertical surface to allow a worker greater access to the vertical surface under the railing. Such a connector should permit these goals in a manner easy enough to be employed by a homeowner or other person having limited carpentry skills.